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Tag Archive: DAPD

The German marque has poached Lewis Hamilton from McLaren, teaming him with Nico Rosberg for 2013 and beyond.

Responding to criticism in the German press, Norbert Haug says Mercedes decided to oust Michael Schumacher after the seven time world champion’s “long period of reflection”. Read the rest of this entry »

Hockenheim is ready to step in at short notice, should the Nurburgring be unable to organise next year’s German grand prix.

The Nurburgring has been given only a conditional date on the draft 2013 schedule, due to the circuit’s well-documented financial problems. According to the alternating scheme in place between Germany’s two grand prix hosts, Hockenheim – having hosted this year’s race in the country – is not officially scheduled to return to the calendar until 2014. Read the rest of this entry »

Nico Rosberg has dealt a blow to the Lewis Hamilton saga, insisting he is definitely staying at Mercedes next year.

And 27-year-old German Rosberg also said he hopes his current teammate, Michael Schumacher, also stays with the Brackley based team in 2013. According to intense media speculation, Briton Hamilton is weighing up a big monetary offer to join Mercedes next year. Read the rest of this entry »

Nico Rosberg has counted himself out of the running for the 2012 world championship.

Earlier this year, his Mercedes teammate Michael Schumacher acknowledged that he is already out of the hunt for an eighth drivers’ crown. But fellow German Rosberg was much higher in the points standings, having broken through for his first pole and victory in Shanghai. Read the rest of this entry »

“Before it happened, I was actually very sceptical when he decided to return to formula one,” said former grand prix driver Hans-Joachim Stuck, who is now president of the German motor sport association DMSB. Read the rest of this entry »

Bernie Ecclestone is the epitome of imprecision on the subject of the Concorde Agreement and Mercedes.

The F1 chief executive said recently that there is “total agreement” in the paddock about the future. But subsequent reports, essentially confirmed by Mercedes’ Norbert Haug, indicated that Mercedes is in fact yet to sign on the dotted line. “I am sure Mercedes will soon issue a press release on the subject,” Ecclestone told DAPD news agency when asked about Mercedes’ apparent agreement.

Bernie Ecclestone has played down reports the calendar could be set to explode in 2013.

There have been rumours the F1 chief executive was open to expanding the schedule to no fewer than 26 races next season. “Not next year,” he told DAPD news agency. “There will be 20 again. No new races.”

The 54-year-old German was sentenced to eight and a half years in jail for receiving millions in bribes from Bernie Ecclestone, raising the prospect that F1’s high-profile chief executive could also be pursued.

The news from Germany follows recent speculation Gribkowsky, who now faces years in jail, would make the admission as part of a deal with prosecutors to minimise his sentence. Ecclestone, 81, has claimed he paid Gribkowsky the millions amid F1’s sale some years ago because the former BayernLB risk officer ‘shook him down’ by threatening to cause trouble with UK tax authorities.

Sebastian Vettel has played down suggestions Red Bull’s title hopes have been struck a blow.

Following the reported complaints of rival top teams Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes, the FIA clarified in the wake of the recent Monaco grand prix that the holes in the floor of Red Bull’s race-winning RB8 are not legal. Read the rest of this entry »

It is wrong to say Sebastian Vettel has entered a period of “crisis” after winning two world championships on the trot.

That is the insistence of Christian Danner, a former grand prix driver who now commentates on German television RTL. “It’s a results crisis, not a Vettel crisis,” he told the news agency DAPD. Read the rest of this entry »

The FIA could sanction F1’s reigning back-to-back world champion for his behaviour during the recent Malaysian grand prix.

Before calling backmarker Narain Karthikeyan a “gherkin” and “idiot” in the wake of their collision, Sebastian Vettel was captured by his on-board camera twice displaying his middle-finger to the Indian driver. “I think he’s highly frustrated because he’s having a tough season,” Karthikeyan told the Deccan Chronicle on Wednesday. Read the rest of this entry »

Famous former F1 driver manager Willi Weber has announced he is now retired from formula one.

Once known as ‘Mr 20 per cent’ from his lucrative days as Michael and Ralf Schumacher’s manager, the German is also no longer involved in the management of Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg’s career. Read the rest of this entry »

Even with his massive championship lead, Sebastian Vettel is not prepared to relax just yet. It is mathematically possible that the Red Bull driver will wrap up his second title in Singapore in two weeks.

Michael Schumacher’s home town is not planning an official celebration this weekend.

At Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, the seven time world champion will mark the 20th anniversary of his meteoric formula one debut. But 70 kilometres away in Kerpen, Germany, Schumacher’s home town will be quiet as usual, mayor Marlies Seiburg told the DAPD news agency.

Mercedes’ Norbert Haug has laughed off reports that Nico Rosberg could be set to switch to Ferrari.

Italian magazine Autosprint reported that Ferrari made initial “contact” with German Rosberg recently about racing alongside Fernando Alonso next year. Bild newspaper said it believes that, depending on his results at Mercedes this season, the 25-year-old could get out of his contract at the end of 2011. Read the rest of this entry »